Wols

German | 1913 - 1951

Wols was a German Postwar & Contemporary artist who was born in 1913.

How much does a Wols cost?

Wols's work has been offered at auction multiple times, with realized prices of up to 5,744,765 USD for paintings, and 262,351 USD for works on papers.In the past 12 months, his paintings have averaged 2,179,004 USD, while his works on paper have sold for an average of 36,884 USD.

What is Wols's most expensive painting?

Since 1998 the record price for this artist at auction is 5,744,765 USD for VERT STRIÉ NOIR ROUGE (GREEN STRIPE BLACK RED), sold at Sotheby's London in 2019.

Where can I see Wols's works?

His work is currently being shown at multiple venues like Kunstmuseum Bonn. Numerous key galleries and museums such as Perrotin, New York have featured Wols's work in the past.

Wols in the news

Wols has been featured in articles for Whitehot Magazine, Glasstire and The Art Newspaper. The most recent article is Wols Rediscovered: Galerie Karsten Greve Showcases the Ewald Rathke Collection written for ArtDaily in February 2025. The artist died in 1951.

Artist's alternative names: Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze, Otto Wols, Wolfgang Schulze Wols

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At Auction

Notable Lots

A surreal portrait of a face with multiple eyes and abstract textures.

Tête grotesque , ca. 1940

By Wols

+371%

above mid-estimate

Untitled

By Wols

+774%

above mid-estimate

Sans Titre , 1946–47

By Wols

+1993%

above mid-estimate

VIEW 655 ARTWORKS

Recent Auction Results

A four-panel sketch series featuring abstract, organic figures rendered in loose ink lines.

Visages , 1948

By Wols

-24%

below mid-estimate

iART

A minimalist arrangement of eight framed charcoal sketches on neutral paper.

Le Berger d'Écosse , 1948

By Wols

-16%

below mid-estimate

iART

A minimalist book page with centered black text on aged cream paper.

The Guest of the Dead , 1948

By Wols

+10%

above mid-estimate

Aguttes, Neuilly

VIEW 647 AUCTION RESULTS

Current Exhibitions

Toward the 50th Anniversary Collection 1: Self / Action

National Museum of Art, Osaka (Kokuritsu Kokusai Bijutsukan)

Osaka | Japan

Jul 19, 2026 - Nov 03, 2026

Force Fields: New Perspectives from the Collection

Kunstmuseum Bonn

Bonn | Germany

Jul 12, 2026 - Jun 11, 2028

In the Very Bowels of Changes: Surrealism and Antifascism

Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw

Warsaw | Poland

Jun 26, 2026 - Jan 10, 2027

VIEW 76 EXHIBITIONS

Articles

Wols Rediscovered: Galerie Karsten Greve Showcases the Ewald Rathke Collection

ArtDaily Feb 08, 2025

Galerie Karsten Greve announces the exhibition Wols. Ewald Rathke Collection.

Exhibition Pays Tribute to The Ground-Breaking Work of Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze, Known as WOLS

ArtDaily Dec 23, 2024

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Karsten Greve Gallery in St. Moritz, the gallery opened the exhibition "WOLS."

Wols and the Tachisme Art Movement

Whitehot Magazine Dec 05, 2023

In his 1963 book, ‘Au-delà du Tachisme’, the artist and writer Georges Mathieu recalled visiting an exhibition of forty Wols canvases in 1947.

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Coverage

“ ..Freud's principles of Psychoanalysis created a language to explore the subconscious mind and sexual desire, which was believed to be the critical part of human motivation... ”
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Haunch of Venison, New York

“ ..Surrealism has its place in a significant line of tradition in occidental art... ”
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Collection Scharf-Gerstenberg

“ ..A draftsman, painter, and photographer, Wols (1913–1951) was one of the most ingenious and influential—if commercially unsuccessful—artists to emerge in postwar Europe... ”
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The Menil Collection

“ ..For both artists, art has the potential to reveal profound desires and realities that often remain unnoticed, or even invisible... ”
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The Rose Art Museum

“ ..read more Soon he was involved with the local Surrealists and made the acquaintance of other personalities in the theatrical, literary and art scenes... ”
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Gropius-Bau